Best to ease on in with……..food. Below, are some of my tried and true vegetarian school-day lunch ideas.

The easiest way to put together a lunch is with a selection of basics:

Proteins:
Nuts, seeds, tofu cubes (marinated or plain), nut butters, cheese (easiest choice is string cheese), yogurt, and beans (refried or whole).

Fruit:
Kiwi (cut in half, pack a spoon), banana (1/2 is a serving size), mandarins (easy to peel, perfect for little hands), plums (very juicy this time of the year, pack a washcloth)… you get the idea, whatever is in season.

Grains:
Whole grain crackers (pair withcheese or nut butter), flour or wheat tortillas (simple roll-ups with tofu or cheese), brown rice, bread (for sandwich, of course), pasta (kids love corkscrews and shells best), granola, and coucous.

Vegetables:
Carrots, celery (Bugs on a Log! Spread with nut butter, sprinkle with raisins), cherry tomato, cucumbers (make little sandwiches with cucumbers as the “bread”), peas, edamame, whatever your kids like.

Extras:
So many things to add, try dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, cherries, and apricots are a good start), salad dressing, cream cheese, and baked chips (corn chips, beans, cheese, salsa and you’ve got instant nachos).

Use the extras to make the basics more interesting. The Bugs on a Log is an example, or throw together some grated cheese, cherry tomato, peas, pasta, and salad dressing for a quick pasta salad. Pack some granola in a little container along with raisins and sprinkle over granola before serving. Add some apple sticks and you’ve got a whole meal.

I like to send a frozen fruit juice to keep everything chilled. Or use a re-freezeable cold pack. They make them in fun shapes like flowers, cookies, footballs. When the weather turns cooler, it’s easy to pack items like refried beans, veggie chili, or soup in a thermos.

I worked in the school cafeteria for 3 school years. If you want kids to eat their lunch and not throw it away, make it fun. They like a kit sort of set-up with separate containers of ingredients. That’s why products like Lunchables are so popular.

Happy back to school to you!!

Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

School Lunches, Vegetarian-Style

School lunch menus are linked to obesity and host of other diet-related diseases. School lunches are over-processed and include a load of starches, fats and meats that have been genetically modified, and shot up with hormones and antibiotics. Plus unless the school is organic, foods most likely contain pesticides. Kids often have no vegetarian meal choices. Lastly you see very few fresh fruits and veggies included in school lunches, even though we all know this is key in a healthy diet. All in all, school lunches mostly suck and our kids are the ones who suffer the health consequences. In fact, the Daily Green notes that the nutrition standards of school lunches haven’t been updated for over 30 years!

According to Organic Consumer:

“Chantal Wei-Ying Clement, who is working on the Appetite for a Change campaign, is lobbying Congress for healthy local and organic food to be included in the Child Nutrition Act. Click here to read Chantal’s first report reviewing the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for updating the school lunch and breakfast programs.“

What you can do:

• Organic Consumers is urging everyone to get involved with the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. The act is a good opportunity to create positive change. We can help change where the food comes from, how nutritious is it, and how healthy our kids will be.
• Read: How to Change School Food Policy: An Organizing Kit
  Write to Congress about the changes you’d like to see for school lunches.
• Send an action alert about school lunches to Congress.

What else you can do: Talk to your kids about making smart lunch decisions. Pack them a healthy lunch vs. giving them money to buy lunch. It may seem like more work, but my son goes to a private school with no lunch program at all and once you get into the swing of packing a lunch daily, you get fast.

Do you know what’s being served for lunch at your kid’s school? What do you think of the menu?

[images via stock.xchng and Organic Consumers]

Post from: Blisstree

Score Healthy, Local & Organic School Food

Do you scurry around making school lunches

I’ve written about this topic at my Mary Emma’s Country Kitchen blog, under School Lunch Variations, covering school lunches from my mom’s day to the present when my grandchildren take lunch and snacks to school.  There certainly have been changes over the years. 

You’ll also find a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake, something we made often during my childhood for dessert at home and a lunch box special.

What do you do so lunch box time isn’t so mundane and a frantic rush? 

 Incidentally, do you make quilted or patchwork lunch boxes or carriers?

(Ghirardelli Chocolate image at Amazon)

Post from: Blisstree

Lunches for Quilters & Tots